Battery housing



April 9, 1940. J. w. GREIG BATTERY HOUSING mm Dec. 24, 19s"! 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENITOR I J' nzes 14/ Grez g.

ATTORNE s.

Ap 9, 1940. J. w. GREIG BATTERY HOUSING Filed Dec. 24,- 1957 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR James /4. 671544 I ATTORNE April 9, 1940. J. w.GREIG 2,196,578

BATTERY HOUSING Filed Dec. 24, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ill I 11v VENTOR72122765 11 Gregg,

A T TORNE V5.

Patented 9, 940 i.

k v a v nA'rtrnarnonsme James'W. Graig, Grosse 'Pointe ParkQMichassigner to Hudson Motor-Car Company, Detroit, I

lM ich a-eorporation-of Michigan. Application December 24, 1937, SerialNo. 181385, t J

. g '1 Claims?" (oil co es s e j g This invention relates generally-to.eeemp 'ri-f. a portion of 'th'erbonnet "in elevated" position ment' such"as a housing" or'casing for enclosing a storage battery for use inconnection with motor provision of improved meansfor supporting and 1enclosing the battery in a convenient'location in the vehicle so that itwill be readily accessible tor vehicle; the housing havingfan inlet forthe flow of" air into the housing and an outlet ffor the flow .of airout'of the housing; Wherebyeffective ventilation of the housing andcooling of the.

battery will be assured during travel of the Vehicle ,-by' producing acontinuous. flow ofp-air Q through" thehousing and a: circulationthereof around the battery. I

I further object is to provide 5. battery housing mounted or extendingwithin anenclosed I taken substantially alongth e line T-1 of Fig. 2,

compartment, such as the engine compartment,

of a motor vehicle; said housing having air in-' let and outlet'meansarranged to induce a-f low of air through the housing, such air beingtaken in fromoutside the compartment and after circulating within thehousing being discharged exteriorly of the compartment at a point orpoints to' the rear of the intake. 7 I t Another object of the inventionis to provide a battery housing for a motor vehicle comprising a casinghaving an intake for the flow Oren; into the casing'and an outlet forthe discharge of air therefrom, the outlet beingprovidedwith meanseffective to induce by; suctionv a. flow'of air through the casingduring. the forward travel of the vehicle.

-Another. object of the mv is to provide means for supporting and;enclosing a battery 5 under theengine bonnet, or elsewhere and toprovide novel means for protecting the battery from.

the heat generated by'the engine and permitting the drainage of anyaccumulation of moisture or other liquid which might be detrimental tothe efliciency and life of the battery."

' The above and other objects of. the invention will appear from thefollowing'descriptionand appended claims when considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificationwherein like reference characters designate corresponding; parts in theseveral views.

' In said drawings:

- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the engine compartmentofthe motor vehicle with vehicles and the like and has" for anobj ectth'e"Fig; 4is ;a vvertical section taken "substan- 'd'irectionof thearrows.

' 5'f-5 of Fig. 2, .l'ooking'iin the direction of the;

Y the line 6- 6 of Fig. '2, looking in' the direction of the arrows."

substantially a1ongtheline33 of Fig. 2; looking inthe directioniof thearrows;

tiallyalong the line 4+4 of Fig. 2, looking in the Fig. 5 is a detailvertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale,- taken substantiallyalong the line a ow I Fig. 6 is a fragmentarydetail vertical section, onan enlarged scale, taken substantially along Fig. 7 is a yerticallongitudinal sectional view looking in the direction or the arrows. j.Fig'.f8 is a detail horizontal sectionalgview, on

an'enlarged scale. taken substantially'along the 25 line 8-1 of ll'ooking in the direction of the for supporting the battery housing; and

Fig. 12 is a similar viewof the rear supporting 35 bracket for thebattery housing.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understoodthat the inven-' 'tion is not limited in its application to the detailsof construction and arrangement of parts 40 illustrated intheaccompanying. drawings, since the invention is'capable of otherembodiments andof'beingpracticed or carried out in various ways; Also itis to be understood" that the phraseology oriterminology employed hereinis 45 for thepurpose of description and not of limitation, and it is notintended to limit theinvention "claimed herein beyond the requirementsof the prior art. Referring particularlyto Figs.- 1, 2 and 3, thereto isshown a portion of the front end of an auto mobile of the front enginetype embodying the I present invention and including a cowl .A, enginecompartment B, radiator shell C,' radiator core Ch bonnet or hood D,left fender E, engine F 55 f and one form of. battery housing or casingG embodying the present invention. As seen in these figures, the batteryhousingG is sectional and is locatedpartially within the enginecompartment and has a portion which. projects outwardly thereof into thespace beneath the fender E. The chassis of the vehicle, as shown,includes a longitudinal frame member H and one member I of an X-frameupon which the engine F is mounted.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the left wall or section] of the casing Gextends or projects throughanopening formed in a dust shield orpartition plate J located beneath the fender, this for the reason thatthe shield J "extends forwardly from the cowl at a converging angletoward the radiator-Q so as to conform with the normal taper of thebonnet or hood from back to front. This construction, as will be seen,reduces the space within the engine compartment occupied by the batberH,-see particularlyFig. '7'. 'The pan l5 carries adjacent its front enda bracket i6 having a flat transverse and rearwardly extending por tionH, a front depending flange l8 "which is turned inwardly toprovide asupporting base or flange I-Q adapted to be secured to the bottom of thepan l5 in any suitable manner, as by-means of bolts or welding. Theparts 11 and I8 of the bracket are provided with bolt receiving holesThe rear portion'of the panlfi sup- Ila and Mia. ports a rear bracketmember having a flat portion 2 Land a reardepending portion or flange 22which is turned outwardly at 23 to provide a supporting base for thebracket. The'base or flange 23 is providedwith bolt holes 24 which areadapted to receive bolts or the like which pass through the holes andthrough. the bottom of the pan E5 to secure the bracket 20 and the rearend of the-pan to the frame member H. TheJflat top'portion 2! of thebracket is provided with an opening or hole Zia to receive a bolt andcooperates with a'hole formed in a depending flange Mi to support thebolt which will be described hereinafter. 1 Y

The rear or inner end of the pan 15 has an upright wall I50; having adepression or trough I52) formed therein to receive a portion of abattery cable K. The cable is heldin place by means of a clip 21 boltedat 28 to the pan wall 15a, see particularly Figs. '7, 8 and 9. y 7

The pan I5 is provided with opposed longitudinally extending ledges orsupporting surfaces I50 which are adapted to receive and support a metaldrip tray 30 having an offset corner;3l provided with a drain opening3'2. As'best seen in Figs. 4 and 7 the battery L rests upon the inner orupper tray 341 which in turn is supported at opposite ends by thebrackets 16' and 20.

by the ledges I50.

The battery is clamped in place at its front and'rear ends by L-bolts orrods 33 and clamp blocks 34. The lower end or head of the front The sideedges'of the tray rest upon and are supported bolt h'ole Zia in thebracket 20 and forwardly through a similar hole in a vertical flange 26.By tightening the nuts-i5 on the free ends of the bolts, the blocks 34are caused to bind or grip the battery and hold it in place.

As seen in Fig. 5 a drain nipple 36 extends downwardly through the drainopening 32 and through a corresponding opjening in the base pan I5. Ahose 3'! is attached to the lower end of the nipple andprojects intotheair stream beneath the engine compartment to carry oif any moisturewhich might accumulate in the tray 3!]. Current is supplied to thebattery in the usual manner by means of the cable K which, as mentionedabove, is heldby the clip 21 to the cable trough I512.

The battery casing, as shown, is sectional and preferablycomprises asubstantially rectangular side wallor plate Mlwhich is welded at 4!along two sides thereof to' the dust shield or plate J and at its bottomedge at Ma to the outer flange l5d..of thepamseeliig. 4. Theplate 40, isprovided with a series of vertical discharge outlets having rearwardlyopening. preferably vertically disposed louvres-Mfs'ee Figs. 2, 3 and 4.The plate 40. has a forward extension or wall 43 which extends inwardlytoward the shieldJ and is preferably welded thereto at 44. The wall43may be integral with the plate All or formed as a separate piece weldedto the plate and to the shield I; As best seen in Figs.. 2 and3,,th eplate or member. 40 projectsthrough an opening in the-shield J anddisposed jbeneath the fender E, thus prosure for the battery;..compartment for vapproximately one-half the width of said compartment,

' see-particularly Figs. 2 and 4. 3

The other walls or section of f the, battery housing or. casingare,as'shown, located on the inner-oroppositetside of the shield J withinthe enginecomriartm'ent B. This section of the battery enclosure orcasing comprises an inner upright wall having its lower edge wedged orengaged between a longitudinal side-flange I56 on the pan and apairofspaced clips 41 carried by the pan. This casing portion or sectionhas a top substantially horizontal wall 48 provided with a diagonallydisposed upright flange 49. The forward edgecfthe wall adjacent, and tothe rear of the radiator grille C is extended inwardly at an angle toprovidea funnel-like member 50 havingan intake opening. The intakemember 50 as shownin Fig. 2, fits into a-vertical space formedbetweenone vertical endof the radiator core C and the opposed uprightside wall of the shield J. Thusthe mouth'of the intake 50 is exteriorofthe engine compartment and in position, to receive air flowing throughthefront radiator grille openings and laterally past the radiator coreduring forward travel of the vehicle. Hence, approximately one-half ofthe front wall ofth'e casing located behind the radiator grille'is'open'to permit the ingress of air into the battery housing asindicated by thearrows M, see Fig, '2.' Thecasing portions or section within the bonnetinclude a rear wall 5! flanged at 52 and contacting with the inner faceof the shield 'J to *be -secured thereto by wing nuts 53. The top wall48 has an" elongated inspection opening 54 located above the cells ofticularly Figs. 4- and 5. Thus the inner casing,

' engine type.

housing or enclosure may be located at any, dey engine compartment andremovably attached to 'said dust shield, said second portion having. an

her so that access can be had "to the battery to service or inspect' itwithout the necessity of removing the inner section: or portion-ofthe'bat-' ter y housing. The flange 49: of" the top wall is secured tothe shield J by wing nuts 51, see parsection is removably supported bymeans of the base clips M and the series of wing nuts 53 and 51. If itis desirable to remove the battery from the car, the wing nuts 53 and5'! are released so that the entire inner section or portion of theenclosing housing can be lifted out to permit the battery to be liftedfrom its position upon the supporting pan 30/ When the vehicle is inmotion, air enters through the funnel-like end of the battery enclosure5i! in the direction of the arrows M, passes over and around the batteryL and escapes through the louvres 42 outside the engine compartment,thus tending to maintain a circulation of air within the batterycompartment and preventing the accumulation .of gases therein. It willbe seen that the preferred arrangement of the louvres is such that theywill project into the air stream and induce by suction a flow of air outof the battery housing, thereby facilitating the circulation and passageof fresh air'through the housing.

The battery housing is, in effect, a two-part casing having a permanentouter section which,

as shown, is Welded to the outer face of the shield J and to the outerflange l5d of the pan, and an inner removable section comprising thewalls 45, 48 and 5!, held in place by the clips 41 and the wing nuts 53and 51.

It will be seen, from the foregoing, that the battery L is enclosed by asheet metal casing which is inexpensive to manufacture and which permitsproper ventilation for the eiiicient operation of the battery and yetprotects it from the weather and fromexcessive engine heat which mightbe detrimental to the life and proper func- I ing or enclosureassociatedwith a motor vehicle of the front enginetype, it will be understood thatin one of its broader aspects, the invention also contemplates the useof a battery housing'or casing in connection with vehicles of the rearMoreover, my improved :battery sired point in a motor vehicle and myinvention contemplates the utilization of air as an air stream createdby the motion of the vehicle.

I claimz l. A battery housing for a motor vehicle having an enginecompartment, comprising a casing having a portion extending into saidcompartment and a portion located outside of said compartment, saidfirst named portion having an intake means located within thecompartment for directing air into the casing, and said second portionhaving air outlet means located outside the compartment for exhaustingair from withinv the casing to a point or points outside of thecompartment.

2. In combination with a motor vehicle engine compartment, dust shieldand fender, of a storage battery, and a housing for enclosing saidbattery,

' said housing comprising a portion arranged exopening within the: airstream of the-'vehicle to permit the ingress of air to the batteryhousing, and said' external portion having louvres to perin-it the;"egress of ai-rfrom within the battery housing. l I

3. A battery housing for a motor vehicle having a longitudinalframe'member' and an enginev compartment, comprising a casing having aportion located within said compartment and a portion located outside ofsaid compartment, said first named portion having air intake meansfordirecting air into the casing, said second portion having air outletmeans located in an upright wall thereof for exhausting air fromwithinthe casing to a point or points outside of thecom-j partment, saidcasing having an inclined bottom portion mounted on the frame member andhorizontal spaced ledge portions, and a drip tray mounted upon saidledge portions for supporting a battery within the casing, said trayhaving a drain opening formed therein.

4. A battery housing for a motor vehicle hav- 26 mg a longitudinal framemember and. an'engine compartment, comprising a casing having a por-'tion located within said compartment and a portion located outside ofsaid compartment, said 1 thereof for exhausting air from Within thecasing to a point or points outsideof the compartment,

said casing havingan inclined bottom portion mounted on the frame memberand horizontal spaced ledge portions, a drip tray mounted upon saidledge'portions for supporting a battery with- .in the casing, said trayand said bottom portion having registering openings formed therein, anipple extending through said openings,.anda drain hose attached to saidnipple and extending into the air stream beneath the engine compartmentand adapted to carry off moisture. from said tray. v}

5..A battery housing for a motor vehicle hav= ing an engine compartment,comprising a, casing 1 the casing, and said secondportion having airoutlet means for exhausting airfrom Within the 6. A battery housing fora motor vehiclehaving an engine compartment, comprising a casing havinga bottom, a portion extending into said compartment and a portionlocated outside of said compartment, said first named portion having airintake means for directing airinto the cashier said second portionhaving an outlet I means for exhausting air from within the ca'sing- 1to a point or points outside of the compartment, and a drip tray locatedwithin and mounted upon the casing bottom for supporting a battery, saiddrip tray having a drain opening formed therein. 7. In combinationwith amotor vehiclezengine 1 having a bottom pan, a portion extending into 7said compartment and a portion located outside of saidcompartment, saidfirst named portion having air intake means for directing air intocompartment, dust shield and fender, of a storage battery, and a housingfor enclosing said battery, said housing comprising a portion arrangedex ternally of said dust shield and beneaththe fender anda secondportion located within the engine compartment and removably attached to.saidodust shield, said second portionhavingan opening within the airstream of the vehicle to permit the ingress of air to the batteryhousing,

's ai dnexternal portion having louvres to permit v and a movable coverfor olosingsaid top opening.

J AlVIES W. GREIG.

